Happy New Years 2011!

Tonight, we will be celebrating with friends at home and this morning and I am thinking of new year's goals for all areas of my life: personal, spiritual, and professional. 2010 was quite a difficult year for me personally with lots of disappointments and setbacks. Despite all the hardships, I do have special blessings that followed me into this year. I feel that 2011 brings so much promise of hope, love, and miracles. Our family is praying for just that for you as well!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011!

Should I be concerned?

Yesterday, I saw the above and just had to take a photo of it. Cody became very concerned about his beloved Jessie and took her off right after I took a shot of them. Of course Carleigh suspended them from Cody's basketball hoop. You just never know what that girl will do next! We now have "Toy Story 3" and when they watch it, they must have Buzz, Woody, and Jessie in their arms. Too cute!

And, I am planning a 7 year old's party. How can that be? These birthdays come around faster each year. This year's theme is obviously "Toy Story" and we will be having it at a bowling alley. I am looking forward to inviting some of Cody's friends from school. It's going to be such a fun time for him. I still cannot believe he will be 7 years old!

Wordless Wednesday

More Christmas Pics

Christmas Recap

On Christmas Eve, we celebrated with Matt's family over at his sister's house. Carleigh enjoyed playing with her cousin's Nintendo DS which was a good sign that Santa bought the right toy for her! That night, the kids were so keyed up that they would not go to sleep until 11pm! They LOVE "A Christmas Story" and were watching it on TBS which had a Marathon of that show!

Christmas morning, Matt and I were up before the kids. This is HIGHLY unusual!! Around 9am Carleigh awoke and her little face was so surprised to see all the presents under the tree! I told her to wake up Cody and we'll open presents. Both kiddos LOVED opening presents. Of course, if it wasn't a present that interested Cody (preferably anything non-toy) he refused to open the entire gift! LOL! Luckily for him that Santa only brought him one non-toy which were Toy Story slippers!

The rest of the morning was filled with cleaning up the mountain of wrapping paper (that took HOURS to wrap), trying to get the kids to eat breakfast (failed miserably), and opening lots of toy packaging (ugh!). Carleigh LOVED her Nintendo DS and Cody was glued to his Leapster Explorer. There was one moment when we didn't know where they were. They were QUIET and playing with their hand held games in Cody's room.

Matt's parents came over to exchange gifts and round 2 of presents happened. Cody's favorite was the piano horn that they bought for him and Carleigh LOVED the Barbie pool and Princess roller skates.

Around 4pm, we went to my parents' to celebrate with my family. There was so much food and I think I gained 5 lbs (must start working out again!) and the room was brimming with presents. It took 5 trips to the van to get all the toys and gifts that the kids received from my parents and my sister and niece. Cody loved the boom box he received from my parents and the Buzz, Woody and Jesse dolls from my sister. They both received Pillow Pest from my sister and enjoyed sleeping with them that night.

Cody's speech has progressed over Christmas break and he is just HILARIOUS! You just never know what he is going to say! This morning, he was playing with Carleigh's Barbie guitar and sang "I'm a Barbie girl in a Barbie world!"

Today, we have played with Cody's Toy Story Basketball Door Hoop game, air hockey table and trying to organize the toy chaos. (I think we had Toys R Us in our family room!) I promise to post some pics as soon as can! We had such a wonderful Christmas!

Milestone in the making!

Just a few minutes ago, Carleigh comes to me and says "Mommy! I lost my tooth!" To which I reply, "Let me see!" And yep, her mouth was slightly bloody but her bottom front tooth was missing! My big girl pulled her first tooth all by herself! Another milestone for my baby and although I am happy for her, I am sad because she is growing up and is not a baby anymore. It's funny because the Tooth Fairy will visit the night before Santa visits.

Snow Day Pics

I have not been able to upload pics on my blog. Not sure why, but I have tried numerous times. Here are a few pics of the kids during their second snow day last week. Carleigh would have stayed outside all day if I would let her!

My Early Christmas Present

I was so excited when my in-laws gave me an early Christmas gift today.....this wonderful video camera. It is the size of a credit card but a little bit thicker! I cannot wait to record Christmas morning and be able to post it here and on Facebook. So cool! I also have a secret project that I also need it for this week.....nope, can't tell you what it is....a total secret that cannot be exposed!

There's no day like a SNOW DAY!

Today was my first snow day and the kids' second snow day of the school year. I have NEVER had a snow day before Christmas in ALL my days of teaching (12 years). I think this winter is going to be very snowy!!

The first thing Carleigh said when she saw more snow was...."Can I make a snow angel?" Of course I said yes and the three of us tromped in the snow for awhile. Cody lasted maybe 10 minutes and Carleigh played while I shoveled the driveway.

This afternoon, we are coloring Christmas pages and reading Christmas books. It's a blessing to have this extra time with them!

I love snow days!!

Wordless Wednesday

It's one of THOSE weeks!

I so enjoy Christmas, but the weeks beforehand are quite exhausting! This week is my final week of teaching before the holidays, so it's craziness! Ornaments, parent gifts, and wild/hyper children. I have such a wonderful class this year and that has been such a blessing! However, I am still trying to do too much in a short time period. Then, throw in a snow storm and a snow day for my kiddos and not for me (grumble) and I am hitting that red line....you know when you just don't think you could handle anything more. Ick! Lots of appointments and meetings and parties as well. All of this will disappear next week when I am OFF! On Monday, I am declaring a "ME" day since my two children will still be in school. Tuesday, I get to be "MOM" and attend their parties. The rest of the week will go by at lightning pace and soon Christmas will be here. Is
it Friday yet??!!

It arrived!

Well, two kiddos are going to be excited this year! Cody is getting the Leap Frog Explorer which was EXTREMELY hard to find, in fact, I had to order it online. It's for ages 4-9 years of age and we can download more games online and I can track his progress from my computer. For his birthday, I am going to get the camera/camcorder attachment for it and we also bought him a charger. Miss Princess is getting a Nintendo DS with lots of girly games. Both hand held toys will hopefully help with their fine motor development.

What is something you are excited about giving your child(ren)???

Sick Again

The stomach bug has yet again struck my poor Cody. The poor thing catches it like a magnet. In fact, the school nurse said that it really wasn't going around "this time." My mom picked him up before lunch on Tuesday and he has been home ever since. Today he turned a corner and is (hopefully) on the road to recovery. I called home to find out that he did eat his dinner well for the first time since Sunday! We so hope he hasn't lost any weight! To see Cody lifeless and sleeping is VERY unusual and it hurts this Mommy heart to see him sick.

Just one more week of school (for me) and Christmas vacation begins. I cannot wait! I also looking forward to helping out at both of their "holiday" parties as they have to go on the 20th and 21st whereas I am out! Some "me" time and then "kiddo" time! Yay!

This is how she rolls

or should I say sleep?

December 25 cannot get here fast enough for my kiddos. Once the tree was up, they immediately thought Santa was coming. I love this season and cannot describe the joy that I get when I see them open presents! This year, I will be videotaping it thanks to my sweet father-in-law who will be giving me one of my Christmas presents early! I am getting a pocket sized video camera!! Woohoo! Stay tuned for actual VIDEO of my two opening Christmas gifts!

Over the last 24 hours...

....Matt and I went out for a much needed time alone. A special thank-you to my sweet niece who offered to take them for the evening (and she originally was going to keep them overnight, but she was called in for work today). We went out to dinner and did some Christmas shopping. I also came home and did a little bit more Christmas shopping online since Santa could not find a sought after toy in at least 5 stores.

...Carleigh fell asleep under the tree for the first time this season.

....Our first real snowfall is currently happening (early for our neck of the woods) and Carleigh was itching to play in it!

...This evening, Matt and I are going to our friends' home and his parents are baby-sitting for us.

....Cody received an EXCELLENT report card and I am very happy with his progress!

A sneak peek at....

our Christmas card! Last year, we had our portraits taken professionally. All the years before (when we have had children) I have taken them and then created them online at Kodak Gallery. I decided to take a pic tonight in their Christmas garb and with Cyber Monday deals...I could not pass a 30% off deal with Kodak! I saved a LOT of money! I sooooo love that!

I have a post brewing about my weekend....just haven't had the time to finish it!

From my family to yours, we are wishing you a very blessed, wonderful Thanksgiving! God is so good!

It's been a LONG time...

Black Friday....ahhhh! It is a shopper's dream....sales galore and deals to be had! Well, this year, my sister and I are going to be getting up MUCH earlier than normal. Why sleep when deals are out there?!! So, this year....we are pull an ALL-NIGHTER! Yep! I have not pulled an all nighter since Carleigh was a newborn....over 5 years ago! Do I have the stamina to do it? We'll see....in my high school and college years, oh it wasn't a problem....I pull all-nighters quite often, but seeing as I am older and two children later....oh I hope so!

As we are out there getting the majority of our Christmas shopping done, what will YOU be doing? Sleeping or shopping???

So very thankful...

This weekend was such a wonderful, emotional, and difficult weekend for all sorts of reasons. Through it all....I came to the conclusion that I am VERY thankful for my immediate family. Friends WILL come and go, but family will ALWAYS be there for you in thick and thin. When one of us needs an immediate need, we will stop whatever we are doing and help them. This happened several times in the past couple of days.

Every family member has struggled with something very different in our lives, but through it all, we have been there for each other. If it were not for my family, I would be sunk. Many times I have cried and weeped and my sister was there for me. My mom has been there for me when I could not stay home with my children. For that, I am forever thankful to her. My niece Brittany is like a little sister that I never had. I was there when she was born, got to hold her when she was 20 minutes old and babysat her practically every weekend of the first 5 years of her life.

This Thanksgiving season, I am so VERY thankful for my family. They are a priceless gift that will never be tarnished or thrown away. Thank you Lord for my awesome, loving family!

A New Adventure

My sister and I are venturing into business together! We were going to keep it a secret, but I can't wait to share it! We are going to be making jewelry, hair bows, hair clip organizers and much much more! Since my sister has a HUGE house (can I say that I am jealous?) we are using one of her many unused rooms to be our production location. We will mostly be making the product on weekends since she works second shift and I am on day shift. We have a few kinks to work out, but we are hoping for a fun, profitable business! I need to generate money for a special "project" and this will hopefully be the best way to get the $$ needed. My sister and I have already done our research and are itching to start! I will post some pics of our products soon. If it becomes profitable, I may also generate a website. I am so very excited to be doing this with the closest friend possible....my big sis Connie!

Twins

No, I do not technically have twins, but the older they get, the more it seems like I have twins. Case in point, I put their clothes in the same closet with usually Cody's clothes on the left and Carleigh's clothes on the right side of the closet. Last night I was in a hurry to get everything laid out and ready for the school day. I grabbed dark jeans and a hoodie for Cody. I get two phone calls that day telling me that I think Cody was wearing Carleigh's jeans. The first call was from my babysitter aka mom and the second call was from Matt during therapy. Needless to say that when Cody got back this evening, the first thing that I did was to check out his pants. And yes, they were Carleigh's. *LOL* Luckily for him, the jeans looked like normal jeans with the exception of a tie-dyed starbust on the upper front thigh of each jeans with a trace of glitter. I am so glad that they did not have flowers or hearts. My poor boy. I wonder if his teachers and aides noticed. LOL! This is the second flakey thing I have done this week in regards to his school affairs.

EVERY time we are out a restaurant or shop I get the question, are they twins? They are almost the same height and Cody could wear Carleigh's clothes (not that he would on PURPOSE!) so I get the reason why we get that and of course they do look alike with their blonde blonde hair. I have stopped explaining that they are 13 months apart because when I tell someone they get a weird look on their face like why did I have two children so close in age and it's not like I had a CHOICE in the matter! LOL! So I leave strangers with the idea that I have twins. I have secretly always wanted twins though.....

Christmas Shopping

I absolutely LOVE buying presents for my children. The poor children only get gifts at one time of the year thanks to having January and March birthdays. They have been waiting for quite awhile for some new toys and goodies. I know exactly what we are getting our daughter, but our son is quite tricky since his only interest is pianos and things that spin. He is definitely our shopping challenge. I do the majority of my shopping on Black Friday. My sister and I usually get up very early and make it to the stores for the big deals. We are changing our strategy and location of shopping this year to make the experience much better. 2 weeks from today, I'll be in shopping heaven!!

Concerned

We are starting to be concerned with Cody's nutrition and digestion issues. Cody is not eating well AT ALL. This is not good for a boy who is barely 40lbs (was any way)! We are looking into giving Cody protein bars and other supplemental foods to help him gain weight. His pediatrician is also concerned about his weight. It doesn't help that heis taking a medication for his ADHD that suppresses his appetite. If anyone has any ideas on helping with this, I would be greatly appreciative! Also, please keep my little guy in your prayers.

Smarter than we think

On Sunday, we went to our niece's birthday party. She played her new guitar and then her brother entertained everyone with magic tricks. While Riley was preparing for his next trick, Cody stands up with Riley's keyboard that he confiscated from R's room. He then states to his audience "Um...I play piano!" And then entertains us with his rendition of a classical piece. It was HILARIOUS! It was like it was Cody's turn to entertain everyone and play an interlude while Riley was getting ready for his final act.

He really fooled my sister Friday night when she gave him 2 quarters and they were looking at a toy catalog together discussing what the kids wanted for Christmas. Cody grabs my sister by the hand and said "Let's go to store and buy piano." When she said no he ran to his dad and faked a cry. Connie feeling guilty and didn't want to break his heart, took him to get a much cheaper piano. Then tonight at the dinner table he faked a cry with me and I called him on it. He is very smart and knows exactly what to do to get what he wants! He is such a clever little boy!

Carleigh is getting smarter by the minute also....Matt asked the kids who spilled water and Carleigh declares "It's not MY fault!" Her speech has come a LONG way!!

Getting Thrifty

As the years go by, I am becoming more thrifty and trying to save money and figuring out how to cut costs. The first thing that I did was start shopping at Aldi. I cannot get all our groceries there, but it does help trim down on our grocery bill. These days, I have been visiting more yard sales and thrift stores. My sister and I went to a gently used consignment shop for kids and found two BEAUTIFUL Christmas dresses for Carleigh. Both dresses look that they had been worn once. I cannot wait to see her all dressed up for the holidays! I also found a handsome red plaid shirt for Cody that will go with his Christmas sweater I found a few months ago at another thrift shop. I also scored a brand new Gymboree skirt and nightgown at a fraction of the cost. I am also looking into possibly starting a new hobby which would bring in profits as well.

3 years ago today...

We adopted our daughter Carleigh! Happy Adoption Day sweetheart! Our family would not be complete without our daughter. She was 2.5 years old when we adopted her and her brother's SLOW case paved the way for her adoption to much more smoothly and quickly. We love you Carleigh! She is such a funny, silly and strong-willed little girl! She has such an unique personality and such a sweetheart!

National Adoption Awareness Month

It is National Adoption Awareness Month again. It's such a special month for me because Carleigh was adopted on our county's "National Adoption Day" in 2007. I cannot believe that it has been 3 years already! Wow!

Halloween in Pictures

The kids have 4 BUCKETS full of candy and will be loaded with sugar for the next two months. Needless to say that candy will be limited, but everyone had such much fun over the weekend. With a harvest party, or treat at another church, and then trick or treating with the cousins, lots of candy was given out. The Princess and King will now how get dress up costumes to add to their role-play toys. I love purchasing things that have more than one use!

Trick or Treating with the Cousins

Yummy Treats

I baked 3 cakes, cupcakes, pumpkin and ghost cookies on Saturday, plus carving 7/8 pumpkins. It was fun and exhausting!

More Harvest Party Pics

A friend from church caught these two adorable cuties in all their deliciously adorableness!

Harvest Party

Last night was our church's Harvest Party. It was a great turnout of about 100 children! Cody and Carleigh enjoyed playing games to win candy. Both came home with a bucket FULL of candy! My niece Brittany gave Carleigh quite a "beauty treatment." Carleigh quickly learned that beauty is pain!